Families still question distribution of Sandy Hook funds

Dirk Perrefort

Updated 10:36 pm, Thursday, April 25, 2013

NEWTOWN -- Families of those slain at Sandy Hook Elementary School believe the $7.7 million distribution announced Thursday is a step in the right direction, but concerns remain about how the process will move forward.

Some of the family members of those who died on Dec. 14 questioned why the Newtown-Sandy Hook Foundation would announce that money would be distributed before a formula was put into place to guide the distribution of the money.

Family members, who wished to remain anonymous, said the foundation made the same mistake earlier this month when announcing that $4 million would go to the families of those most affected.

The foundation expanded on that decision Wednesday when it announced a total of $7.7 million, of the $11 million donations the organization received, would be distributed directly to the 40 families.

That includes the families of the 26 who died, the 12 students who fled the classrooms where the shooting occurred, and two educators who were injured, but what percentage of the money each of those victim groups will receive has yet to be decided.

"The whole point of us asking the foundation to hold off on the $4 million distribution was because they didn't know how much would go to the different victim groups," one family member said Thursday. "They've made the same mistake twice."

Foundation board member Dr. Charles Herrick said Thursday that according to the organization's bylaws, the board can't make decisions about how the money will be distributed.

A three-member distribution committee announced Thursday that is chaired by former federal judge Alan Nevas will be charged with making those decisions, Herrick said, after receiving input from the community.

Herrick added that Nevas, an attorney with the Levett Rockwood law firm in Westport, was appointed chairman of the committee after repeated calls from family members saying that an independent arbitrator was needed.

Families can voice their concerns publicly during two hearings planned for next month, or meet privately with Nevas or nationally known victims' fund compensation expert Ken Feinberg.

Feinberg, who the families met with earlier this month at their request, has agreed to assist the committee in its decision making.

Family members of those slain, however, said they would prefer to have Feinberg serve as a single administrator to the fund without a committee process.

Herrick said the bylaws call for a committee process so that community input can be gathered as part of the decision making.

"Community input was considered to be a critical component that other communities impacted by mass shooting didn't have available to them," he said.

The foundation represents the largest pool of donations out of the more than $20 million that's poured into the community. Of that money, nearly $3 million has already been distributed.

Some of the largest distributions to families has come from the My Sandy Hook Family Fund, which has raised nearly $1.5 million and was created solely to benefit the 26 families of those killed.

The family fund has distributed more than $50,000 to each of the 26 families and is expected to make another distribution in the near future, an official for the fund said Thursday.